Heard on the Hill: End of an Era

Rep. Jeff Flake announced Tuesday that, after five years, he will stop naming an “Egregious Earmark of the Week,” a feature in which he listed an earmark accompanied by a pithy comment. Flake cited the Republican earmark moratorium planned for next Congress as his reason for ending the tradition. But before he does, the Arizona Republican is asking people to vote on his Congressional website for their favorite egregious entry of all time.

“Part of the reason that people are willing to get rid of earmarks is to get rid of these bad puns,” Flake recently joked to HOH.

There are 10 egregious earmarks to chose from. HOH’s own pick is the $150,000 earmark for the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Flushing, N.Y. Flake’s quote: “This earmark blows.”